Crowdsourcing for IoT!
Internet of things is a very complex field! But at its very core it means insertion of sensors into everything around you. Anything that can store data can communicate with everything. There are endless possibilities in that!
“With some of this new technology, when we think about sensors that we can insert in anything, we can solve agricultural issues, the food issues, the water issues, and how we leverage that technology,” said Chuck Robbins, CEO of networking hardware manufacturer Cisco.
You will be living in city you will know where and when how many parking spots are free, if something is being stolen, water is leaking or the CO2 levels are too high, where you lost your keys!
The Things Network has developed LoRaWAN, which is low-power, low bandwidth technology to cover an entire city with a wireless signal, which is not Internet! It works without Bluetooth, 3G or Wi-Fi. A LoRaWAN is battery-powered sensor, which can work for as much as 10 miles away and can last years without new batteries. This was developed and implemented in Amsterdam last August in six weeks with only 10 gateways costing $1200 dollars each.
What is different about this project is that it is a for the people, by the people, community initiative! It is a crowdsourcing data network. The bandwidth is open and anyone can use it. Currently, it has been expanded to 36 other cities such as Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires.
The group is working with developers to create applications and expect the first smart city based solutions to begin rolling out in 2017 which might be anything from waste and water management to congestion management in seaports and airports along busy roadways.
Thing due the big data explosion. We are looking at a future where everything would be connected by Internet of Things –utility, infrastructure, Pharmaceuticals, energy, healthcare, agriculture–where everything will be smart- houses, cars, appliances, plants and something would be connecting them! LoRaWAn is that something or could be something which only time will tell.
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